Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
F ury courses through me as I watch Cheryl being taken away, unconscious. I’ve failed her once again, and it’s tearing me apart. What good was all my relentless training when I can’t save the love of my life?
“Where are you taking her?” I ask through clenched teeth as I fight to break my bindings.
Two guards lift me off the floor, maintaining a tight hold on my arms. I keep struggling. I’m not about to make things easier for these fuckers.
The old Nightingale male is unfazed as he walks over, more curious than anything. “I sense a connection between you and the wolf shifter female, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
“They must be lovers,” the female Nightingale says.
“Yes, that’s for certain. They are in love with each other too—any blind fool can see that. But there’s more, isn’t there, my precious warrior?”
I clamp my jaw shut. I’m not about to reveal that I’m Cheryl’s sire. They’ll use that information against us, I’m sure.
He smirks. “Fine. Keep your secrets… for now. You aren’t going anywhere, and I have all the time in the world.”
I laugh in derision. “I wouldn’t bet on it. It looks like you have a foot in the grave already.”
His pale gray eyes flash with annoyance. I’ve hit a sore spot. Something is seriously wrong with this male. I’ve never met a Nightingale who showed advanced signs of aging before.
“Take him to the pit,” he commands.
The female’s eyes widen. “Papa, are you sure? He hasn’t fed or rested yet.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I want to see how he fares when he’s not at full strength.”
“What if he’s too weak?”
The male shrugs. “If he dies, he dies.”
The guards drag me in the opposite direction Cheryl was taken.
It’s a minor consolation. She has to be in a better place than where I’m going.
Whatever awaits me in the pit is awful; I know it in my bones.
The hallway slopes downward and darkens as we progress.
With each step I take, the air becomes heavier and more humid.
The cloying smell of mold makes my nose itch.
We’re near a port, which makes me wonder if this part of the building is underwater.
The hallway ends in front of an iron gate, secured by a rudimentary padlock. Whoever these Nightingales are, they aren’t royal and most likely don’t possess the same abilities I’ve come to associate with this race.
But how in the world were they able to cross into the human lands when all the portals have been sealed? And what were they doing there?
One of the Nightingales unlocks the padlock, and once the gate is open, he shoves me forward into a proverbial pit the size of a tennis court.
The overwhelming scent of blood reaches me at once—new and old.
A smell this strong I should have been able to pick up back in the hallway, which means it’s been concealed on purpose.
The floor is dark gray polished stone, and yet I see bloodstains no one bothered to clean properly.
Stone brick walls surrounded me, and fifteen feet above the ground, there’s a metal mesh covering the entire area—a precaution to protect observers standing on the balcony that wraps around the pit.
The gate shuts behind me and locks once more.
An ordinary padlock I could break, but I have a feeling this one isn’t ordinary.
I search for other ways to escape. I’d have to break the mesh above me, or try the solid metal door on the other side of the pit.
My instincts tell me I don’t want to go there.
A roar sounds from within, sending goose bumps all over my skin.
My stomach tightens as my body tenses. An uncontrollable fear sweeps over me, trying to render me useless.
I have to use all my mental strength to fight the unnatural emotion.
I know now what stands on the other side of that door, and what that decaying Nightingale son of a bitch wants from me. This is a test.
He appears on the balcony above me, accompanied by his daughter. I look up so he can see my glower.
“Is this you’ve been doing? Kidnapping vampires from the human world and bringing them here to fight shadowbeasts?”
“Oh, you catch on fast, warrior,” the male replies.
“When the royal houses declared the shadowbeasts extinct and all of Ellnesari rejoiced in celebration, I knew better. Sure, they disappeared for a while, but I knew they’d be back.
Then that bitch queen from Aquila convinced the other kingdoms to seal the portals to the mortal lands, banishing the vampires—the only weapon we had against those monsters. ”
“If the portals were sealed, how did you manage to travel to the human world?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He chuckles. “Tell me about the connection you have with the female wolf shifter, and I might consider telling you my secret.”
Might being the key word here. “Not a chance.”
“Suit yourself.”
The metal door on the other side of the pit opens, the hinges creaking loudly.
I focus my attention on the opening, which reveals nothing but absolute darkness.
But I know the beast is there, biding its time, waiting to attack.
I part my legs, assuming a defensive stance.
I’d love to have a sword, or any other type of weapon, but fangs and claws will have to do.
Sweat dots my forehead, and with each passing second, my chest becomes tighter as panic tries to overwhelm me. I bite the inside of my cheek, using the pain to remain sharp.
The first thing I see is a pair of glowing red eyes.
A second later, the shadowbeast emerges, running at full speed in my direction, its grotesque mouth open to reveal several rows of sharp teeth.
I hold my ground until it leaps, then I jump out of the way.
The momentum sends the beast careening toward a wall.
I notice silvery markings painted on its back, but I don’t have time to investigate further before the shadowbeast is back on its paws and coming for me again.
For the next few minutes, I can’t do anything but evade getting mauled to death.
This isn’t a solid plan. Adrenaline is propelling me, but eventually, I’ll run out of fuel.
One second too slow will cost me my life.
I have to find a way to hurt the monster.
You need to get on its back, Ronan.
Instead of running away this time, I wait until the beast is closer, then I run toward the wall. The heat of the shadowbeast’s foul breath brushes my neck. If it pounces on me before I reach the wall, it’s game over.
“Watch out!” the female Nightingale yells.
I don’t look back or at her, but I use her warning to make my decision just the same.
I jump toward the wall and use it as a springboard to do a backflip in the air.
The shadowbeast misses me by a hair, but my timing is perfect.
I land exactly where I wanted, and before the monster can shake me off, I wrap my clawed hands around its neck and twist until the muscles give and its ugly head comes off in a shower of dark blood.
The headless monster collapses underneath me, and I finally jump off.
Breathing hard, I scowl up at the Nightingale prick. Then I toss the head of the shadowbeast to the side. “Did you enjoy the show?”
“Oh yes, very much so.” He turns to his daughter. “Make sure he gets everything he needs. The very best.”
“Yes, Papa.”
She glances at me, no longer with disgust. It’s desire that shines in her silvery eyes, and my stomach coils. More than ever, I can’t let them know what Cheryl means to me.